


Everything Old is New Again

by MeredithBrody



Series: Brody/James [1]
Category: NCIS: New Orleans
Genre: F/M, Minor Character Pairing, post S1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-04-03 05:19:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4088410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeredithBrody/pseuds/MeredithBrody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Baitfish affects the New Orleans team, one member realises that their future doesn't necessarily reside in New Orleans... yet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just really love James, OK.

Meredith Brody wasn't the easiest person to get to know, and she wasn't the type of person who easily let people in. In the year since she'd come to New Orleans, these people had gotten to know her better than anyone. She loved them all like a family, and she couldn't imagine being without them now. Which was probably why Baitfish had terrified her.

There was one person she didn't know where she stood with, but she wished she did. During James' last visit she'd been told that the heart wanted what it wanted, it's what had led her back to him then. She had ended what she'd had with Sam, because she wasn't over her ex, and now she knew the only way she'd know was to go and find out.

Going to find out meant actually going, and that meant using her leave. She hadn't taken leave in years, but she really hoped that she would be able to convince Pride to give her the time off, without her having to tell him exactly why. She was certain that LaSalle would have a field day if he knew. So as soon as he was out the office she walked over to Pride's desk and sat down beside it. "Pride?" She started, and waited until he looked up at her before she said what she needed to say. "I need some time off." She used it more as a statement than a question, hoping that would say something to him.

"Why?" Was his question, not that unsurprising given her track record with taking leave. With everything going on here they had all been encouraged to take some time, and that was exactly what she was doing. She'd be far more effective if she could make her personal life into a straight line rather than the mess it was right now.

"There is someone I need to see." That was all she wanted to say. There weren't many people there, so maybe she was giving him a hint. She did also need to get away for a little while, just a few days where she didn't have to worry about Baitfish or anyone else. She needed some times, and if she could kill two birds with one stone she would.

"Who?" He narrowed his eyes, but she was pretty sure he knew who straight away. She wouldn't be going back to Michigan, he knew her better than that. He and James had never spoken, but he'd heard her stories about James, about how they'd been inseparable, and how she had fallen head over heels for him when they first met. So he probably knew that, in the wake of all this, she'd want to see him.

"I'd rather not say, but I need to book flights." That was definitely going to tell him who she was going to see. If she was going to try something with Sam she'd be staying in the city, so leaving meant she was going somewhere else. To see someone else.

"Brody." Pride started, clearly worrying that she was going to run from them again, the truth was the New Orleans was home, but she still wanted to see if she could work something out with James, maybe give him a home base, somewhere he could come back to between assignments. They had comparable goals, and neither of them really wanted children or a settled life, they could make it work if they tried.

"Pride, just give me two weeks, please. That's all I'll need." She would beg if needed. He looked up at her, and Brody just smiled at him, hoping beyond hope that he would be happy to let her go. She wasn't asking for a transfer, just 14 days.

"Alright, take it. Starting Monday." He eventually nodded, pulling the form out of his desk. She hoped that he'd be glad that she'd asked him herself before doing the paperwork. It seemed politer, but on top of that she just felt better letting him know that she'd definitely be back, she knew Pride would worry if he didn't know that, and she didn't want that.

"Thanks." She smiled and let out a long breath of relief. Brody really should have known that he would give her the time, but she'd been afraid, and a little panicked, that he wouldn't. The last several weeks had changed all of them in ways she couldn't even begin to understand, and that was how this had gone. she'd been changed, and it reminded her of the past and what she'd wanted then.

As soon as she could that night she was out the door after shouting a goodbye to everyone, working out the timezones she figured that she'd either call before he was awake, or just as he was getting up. That wouldn't be a surprise. She was distracted all the way home, but she just needed to get this over with and tell him that she was coming.

Almost as soon as she walked through the door she dialled his number, glad that he had kept the same number for probably 10 years, and she knew it off by heart. "Hello." James sounded groggy, and she wondered what time it was there. Some quick maths in her mind told her that it was a little after 5am there, but he answered, that meant something.

"Hey, it's MB. Sorry for waking you." Brody was genuinely sorry she woke him, it wasn't really nice, but she couldn't wait even an hour until it was a slightly more sociable time for him. He'd be getting ready for work after 6, and she hated interrupting that.

"It's alright, I'm glad you did." He mumbled, and in her minds' eye she saw him sitting up, rubbing his face then running his fingers through his hair. He'd always had the same routine when he was woken unexpectedly. She had enjoyed watching that when they had had quiet nights together. Clearly James was surprised she'd called, which as they'd spoken only a couple of days ago maybe wasn't surprising. "I didn't expect you to call."

"I'm coming to visit." She went straight into it, when he was wide awake she'd take more time, but sleepy James needed to be told directly, if he wasn't he tended to get easily confused. Which had been one of her favourite games when they were first together, but in this situation it wouldn't be as much fun.

Clearly, she failed. "What?" Was his only response, and she could tell that he had woken up a little more. She liked that she could tell that from just one word. It was nice to know that he wasn't the only one with that power. Now she needed to figure out what to say.

"James, I need to see you, and talk to you in person." She started, and trying to think of a way to put it that wouldn't cause him to ask too many question. She just wasn't ready to answer them.

"Babe, what's the matter?" He clearly noticed something in her voice. She didn't know what, but he had always known her mood just from her inflections, or one look at her face. It was nice to know that that transcended timezones and continents. It didn't matter where they were, apparently he still knew.

"Just..." She couldn't tell him on the phone, she desperately wanted to just talk about it, but she couldn't. She didn't want to bring him into this when she wasn't there in person to tell him that it was all OK now. He would worry until she got there if she didn't wait. So she took another breath and shook her head. "I'll be there Monday."

"I'll meet you at the airport." He said quietly, clearly recognising the struggle she was going through. She wondered if that was something that all the partners of federal agents went through, it wouldn't surprise her if it was. James clearly knew she was stressing, but he didn't push her, he never had.

"Thanks." She couldn't help but smile at that. There was a tenderness in his voice that she hadn't expected, but she could remember all the conversations where he'd sounded the same after a particularly nasty case had shaken her. This was by far the worse, because Baitfish had focused on her family. She just needed to get through the rest of the week.

The last few days of the week dragged, and Merri couldn't wait until Monday morning. At 00:34 she was getting on a plane and leaving for two weeks. When she came back, she hoped she'd have clearer idea of where her personal life stood. She and James had left things ambiguous when he'd left. They'd just said 'see you when I see you' and gone their separate ways. But they text every day, and called at least once a week. They spoke more now than they had when they were engaged, so she knew she was making the right choice.

Pride agreed to drive her to the airport, making sure that he knew all of her flight details and contact details when she was there. He was being overprotective, and she found that adorable. He really cared about her, and that mattered a lot to her. Once she'd boarded her flight she was glad that now she could finally get some sleep, it was a long flight and she wanted to be rested when they got there. The last thing she expected was to be awoken by the flight crew when they were approaching for landing.

After making it through immigration she came out into arrivals and smiled as she spotted James, clearly still scanning the arrivals for her. "Hey, you actually came." James smirked when he stepped up to her, and after everything that had happened, how she'd seen everything go, she just stepped up to him and kissed him as hard as she could. When she stepped back a second later he had a smirk on his face and had clearly enjoyed her surprise welcome. "That was not what I expected?" Clearly he knew there was more than she'd told him going on, he was a journalist after all.

"I'll explain when we get somewhere private." She really didn't think that talking about Baitfish and Savannah's death in public was going to be a great idea. Telling him was all she could do, as it would explain why she'd decided to some all the way here, to decide that even with their abnormal relationship this was what she wanted. This just wasn't the place. "It's not something to talk about publicly."

"My place?" He suggested, and all she could really do was nod, she didn't know anywhere here, couldn't suggest some park where they would be alone like she could at home. So she was perfectly alright with his apartment. She was going to be staying there anyway, as she'd been told not to bother booking a hotel.

"Sure." She smiled as he took the handle of her suitcase off of her. That was when he took hold of her hand and she looked down at their joined hands as she thought about why she was here, and what had pushed her to take the plunge.

"I'm really happy you're here." He squeezed her hand gently, still clearly focusing on where they were going as he navigated them out to wherever he'd parked his car. The parking lots all looked completely full, and the heat was already a little more than she was expecting. But she was happy she was here too.

"Me too, let's go." She smiled, gently pulling her hand away then slipping her arm around his waist. She was quite happy that he didn't ask any questions and instead just put his arm around her shoulder. She wouldn't have rushed out here on such a trip if something hadn't made her, and James knew her well enough to know that. He'd known her a very long time, and that counted for a lot.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Brody knew that her silence as James drove her through the city and took her up to his apartment wouldn't necessarily be the most normal of things for her, but he didn't ask. He just kept hold of her hand lightly, pulling her case after him. Clearly he was worried about her, and this was his way of showing that. When he stopped to open his door and let her into his little apartment, she was happy to see it was at least clean. "Welcome." He said with a smile, opening the blinds in time for her to see the sunrise playing across the city.

"This is a nice place." She smiled, looking around. She could see the bedroom through an archway on the far end, through a nicely proportioned kitchen. She guessed the bathroom was off the kitchen, and the living area, where they stood, was just the right size with a small sofa and a chair.

"It's home for now, I've another couple months here." She remembered that, somehow. She wasn't quite sure how she remembered given that it probably been one throwaway comment in a conversation days or weeks ago.

"You got the shots you need?" She didn't really want to distract him from work, but she was certain that if he needed to work she could find a way to entertain herself. She didn't need him to keep an eye on her really, but she would prefer to spend her time with him.

"Most of them." He nodded noncommittally. She caught that, but clearly he didn't want to worry her about bothering him while he was supposed to be working. She was certain that he would be fine, and she wouldn't be too much a hindrance, but she would still worry about it.

"Am I going to distract you?" She asked, unable to stop herself from worrying about causing him trouble. She had shown up on rather short notice, and she doubt he had had time to tell anyone that she was coming.

"In the best possible ways." He smiled and leant forward, kissing her gently. Clearly he noticed there was still something playing on her mind, so he took her hands and pulled her to the sofa. She smiled when he sat next to her, but keeping a respectable distance before speaking. "Meredith, what's wrong?"

She took a deep breath. In so many ways she didn't want to have to tell this story. But she knew that James needed to understand why she was there. Why she had travelled halfway around the world to see him. "If I tell you, it'll take a while. There is backstory you need to hear." She knew that he would want to interrupt with questions, it was the reporter in him, but she could try and hold him off. "You have to promise not to jump to any conclusions along the way, OK?"

"Alright?" He sounded unsure, and clearly she was going to have to deal with his interruptions no matter what. She could live with that though. At least she knew that he would be able to keep it secret.

"Years ago, there was an informant for Pride known as Baitfish. He ended up turning again, and in the process killed a little girl. Something Pride blames himself for still." She had been in that room with Pride, the day Baitfish had killed in South Carolina then started travelling back to New Orleans. She'd seen how much he hated everything that had been caused by his allowing Baitfish to be free so long.

"MB?" James prodded after she'd been silent for a few seconds. It wasn't as easy to tell this story as she'd thought it would be. Maybe because James hadn't been there, or maybe just because her boys at home were sad, and she'd run away for the moment. It just was taking her longer to think of how to make it make sense.

"I'm getting there." She snapped a little, then took hold of his hand wondering if not having to look at him would help. She knew those hands, and she knew how to read his mood through them. She took another breath and went right back to the Gala bombing. She knew he'd heard about that, so at least that was a jumping off point. "Late last year, Baitfish reappeared, the bombing at the dinner."

James' hand tensed momentarily in hers, and she knew from just that simple move that he did remember that. She had been there, and that had triggered her PTSD again once she'd allowed herself time to break. She hadn't told anyone about that, but she was sure James would know. "The one you were at?"

"Yeah. So in the aftermath of that we learnt a lot. He escaped though, framing his cousin and fleeing." They had been suckered in, made to think Jenks was dead, but he wasn't and he'd escaped because they hadn't been as fast as maybe they should have been. But then he'd come back, and she remembered how soon before James' last visit that was. "He showed up again just a week or two before you were in New Orleans, but again he escaped. Though we teamed up with an ATF agent called Sonja Percy to help catch him."

"Did you?" He asked, she could tell from his hand that he was tense. Maybe he knew how this was going to go, what was going to happen in the end. Or maybe he just had faith in her and her team to have caught him. They had, but not in time.

"James, be patient." She chuckled lightly, of course he wanted to know if they'd caught him. He was trying to skip to the end of the story right now, and she wasn't going to let him do that.

"Alright. Talk." He sighed, clearly a little sorry he kept interrupting. She picked up his hand and kissed it softly while she thought of how to condense the last ten days into anything coherent. It didn't seem like it had been so short. LaSalle and Pride had left for Savannah's funeral while she'd been flying.

"Last week, Baitfish killed someone close to our team. LaSalle's girlfriend, Savannah." Thinking about Savannah brought tears to her eyes again. It was still an open wound for their entire team, and it was hard to believe that someone as individual as Savannah was just gone, with no explanation other than she was home and LaSalle wasn't. "She was lovely, James. Bright and bubbly, and exactly what LaSalle needed. And in an instant she was gone, just torn away from him."

"That's what brought you here?" James asked, moving a little closer to her, but she couldn't look at him, she needed to tell him, but she wasn't really sure about it. There were things that she wanted to say, but she wasn't sure if they were in the right place. Maybe she should just speak, and let him hear what he wanted to hear.

"I love you so much. When you were last in town I was told that the heart wants what it wants. That night I called you, I asked you over. I could have made up with Sam, or done anything else, but I didn't." She had often thought back over that night, but she knew that she wouldn't change the decision that she made. She had made the right choice then, the only one her heart would have accepted, but now she was worried he didn't feel the same. "I knew from the moment you came back that I wanted us, but after last time I was afraid. But I don't want to be afraid anymore."

"Merri, slow down." James squeezed her hand, and she remembered that sometimes she needed to take breaths between words, and give others chance to talk. "I took the job in New Orleans specially. So I could see you. I wanted to see you again, because I can never get you out of my head." That was something she hadn't really expected, but it was nice to hear in a way. He was as crazy about her still as she was about him. He couldn't get her out of his head, and she couldn't stop thinking about him either. Maybe there was another chance for them. "Babe, I didn't want to leave, and I didn't want us to end. I know back then it had to happen, but now..." He trailed off, and she just looked at him. If he wanted to make this work then they had a chance.

This time, Brody did look up. Hearing that he had wanted to work on them made her feel more confident about her snap decision to come here. There was a possibility that she wasn't chasing down something that was dead. "Can we work something out? Maybe I can give you a home base to work out of between assignments in New Orleans." She wanted to give him a home. The same home she'd been offered. It was something and they could work out anything once that was in place.

"You'd give me a reason to come home between assignments." That was something she'd known about him, he hadn't really had a home to go to before they'd met, and in the years since she doubted he had had a home either. She could change that. "We're still never going to have a normal relationship, I thought that's what you wanted?" James was clearly worried, and that just endeared him to her even more. She knew that things would be different this time. They couldn't really not be. They were much older, and much wiser. She was certain that they could work it out, and that would negate the desire for normal.

"So did I." She really had. Normal had seemed like a good plan, Sam had offered her normal though, and that hadn't worked. Then she realised that there wasn't always perfect, sometimes there was just ideal. "Then Baitfish came after my family and made me realise that there were more important things than 'normal', and if I loved you I should find a way to make it work." Maybe, for them, abnormal was ideal.

"That's why you're here?" Now he understood why she was there. Brody had already lost one of the people most important to her. She couldn't save Emily, and now all she could do was remember her. She wasn't going to lose James, not if she could help it. She would fight to keep him, then fight to protect him. She never wanted to have to think about losing him the way LaSalle had lost Savannah.

"I'm here to say we have two weeks to figure out what we're doing together, then I'm going back to New Orleans." She would stay if she could, but she knew that after this was done she needed to go back and take care of her broken boys. They needed her, right now, probably more than James ever would. But while she was going home, there was something that could help make going home better. "Hopefully with the knowledge that you're going to join me when your assignment is done."

"I'm sure we can arrange that." He smiled, lifting her hands to his lips and kissing her gently. Somehow she was just happy to know that he wasn't thinking she was nuts, and he was willing to attempt to put their relationship right.

"Good." She smiled as he pulled her to him. She hadn't realised how much she'd needed to be held until this moment. She wasn't normally a cuddler, even with her partners. That was something else she and James had shared, but right now this was the most wonderful thing that she could imagine, and she had truly needed it. Maybe over the next few days she and James could figure out where they were going, and whether this was actually worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

Two weeks. That was all she'd had here, and that was all they could spare for her back home. While they had done some sightseeing, and he had shown her more of the city and the area, mostly they had sat quietly together somewhere and talked. It had been a fortnight of word and reconnections. She had been pleased to know that they still worked together, and she could still guess what he wanted or needed at any given time. The story about Savannah had knocked him sideways, just like it had their entire team, and he seemed to understand why she was so desperate to see him.

Now though, it was time she went home. She wasn't looking forward to it. The flight was going to be OK, but the leaving part... that wasn't going so well so far. The minute they'd walked into the airport James had wrapped his arms around her, and Brody wasn't sure if he was going to ever let her go. In some ways, she hoped he didn't. "You sure you have to leave?"

"I am, but you'll be back soon, and I'll call you as soon as I'm back in Louisiana." She knew that was probably going to be the middle of the morning for him, but she'd do it anyway. After two weeks it was going to be strange not waking up with him in the morning, or falling asleep with him at night. She'd even gotten over the fruit salad issue she'd had once. It was just going to be strange. 

"Call me on your stopovers." James whispered in her ear, still holding her tightly as her flight was called over the tannoy. She knew they needed to suck it up, or she would be left here trying to get a later flight. That wasn't going to be a good thing for her at all. 

So it was definitely just easier to say she'd call him. Germany then Chicago, then she could finally fly home. It was long, and she was going to be exhausted, but it was worth it. "OK." She smiled. She could sense people watching them, the couple who had been stood there unmoving for fifteen minutes. She was going to be in trouble if they didn't move soon.

"I love you." James muttered after another few minutes of the two of them standing there, their arms just wrapped around each other. For Brody, this was another type of home. She had her home and her family and New Orleans, and she also had James, and she hoped the two could be reconciled one day.

"Me too." She reassured him. Once upon a time the idea of saying that would have terrified her, but she'd learnt by this point that she needed to tell him. Tell everyone who mattered to her. In a few weeks she'd be able to say that they were working forward, and reaching for what they both needed. Brody knew that was half the battle now. "I'll see you in Louisiana."

"In six weeks. I promise. I'll be there." That was the more important thing for both of them. They had a time frame, and James would be there in a certain number of days. She might think about setting a countdown on her phone. That might be overkill in the end though, even if she was excited. She heard her flight called over the tannoy again and knew she had to go this time.

"I have to go get on the plane now." She muttered to him. The truth was she hadn't minded having his arms round her for a few minutes more. James held her in a way nobody else had ever quite managed to do. She didn't know what was different, but she felt different when he held her. 

"OK." He loosened his grip on her, and when she stepped back he had the same kicked puppy face he used to wear when she was called to a case when they were cuddling. She knew that he missed her when she was pulled away from him, but until the last few weeks she hadn't realised how much she missed him. As she walked away from him she realised the same feelings were kicking in now.

She stopped walking and turned back to him, barely two steps away. There was just something she could tell him, something that wouldn't mean anything to anyone but them. It was just a part of their relationship. "By the way." She said, drawing James' attention back to her.

"Yeah?" He said, staring at her. She just laughed and took a step forward. He looked as if she was about to say the last two weeks were a dream or similar. She couldn't do that to him. So she just kissed him softly and placed a hand to his cheek.

"You haven't gone soft on me." She smiled, thinking about his comment a week earlier about how he was going soft with her on the trip. She'd disagreed at the time, and he'd promised to never go soft on her. Brody was honest with herself, she wasn't sure what James would be like if he went soft, but it would be the weirdest thing.

"I promised I wouldn't." James smiled and gave her one last gentle kiss. She smiled as he stepped back and let her walk away and for one moment she had the urge to run back and jump into his arms and refuse to leave, but she was smarter than that, and she knew she had to go home, however much that hurt.

At both her stopovers Brody called James. Glad there was wi-fi and Skype in the world. He looked groggy when she got to Germany, as if he'd only just managed to fall asleep. He probably had knowing that he had to work. The stopover in Chicago he was clearly out and working, but that didn't stop him just sitting down and talking to her. She missed him already, and it had been 17 hours since she'd left. 

Landing in New Orleans was an odd experience for her. She was home, and she was so happy to be back somewhere she liked, but she also somewhat wished she was still in Dubai. In the arrivals round there was another hug waiting for her, but a vastly different one. This was more a best friend who was happy his friend was home. "Merri, how was the trip?" He asked, smiling. Appearing as if he wasn't at all upset that he was up in the middle of the night to pick her up.

"King!" She was genuinely happy to see him. She was loved here too, it was just a more familial sense. As for her trip, how much should she really share? She'd had a great time, but a lot of it was things she probably shouldn't share. It was private, just between her and James. "It was lovely, thank you."

"Did you get everything sorted out you wanted?" Pride asked, looking at her with a smile. There was something about that smile that made her think that Pride had known all along who she was going to see. She'd never told him that James was in Dubai, and she'd never told him why she was going there. But he probably put two and two together.

"You knew I was going to see James, didn't you?" She asked, just wanting to confirm that he knew where she'd been, and probably what she'd been doing knowing him. He was much more perceptive than even she sometimes gave him credit for. 

"I guessed." He admitted, and she smiled at him shaking her head. She'd been right. Hopefully he hadn't told any of the others. She'd tell them all in her own time, probably when James was here and she could define what was going on. "Your parents are in Michigan and you don't talk to them. You'd visit Emily, but you wouldn't take two weeks to do that."

"So you guessed James?" It was a leap, but a very good leap. She was impressed. Visiting Emily was going to be something she did later in the year, when she had someone to go with. She didn't want to go alone. She'd done that too many times. Maybe she should reach out to her parents again. That would be the next step.

"He's the only other out of town friend I know." Pride shrugged lightly, and that again reminded Brody that she still hadn't entirely let her New Orleans family in. She was going to start doing that.

She sighed, deciding that honesty was the best policy. Pride knew anyway so there was no point denying it. "You were right. I went to see him." It felt good, actually, to say that out loud. She knew what she needed, and what people could offer her. She just didn't want to run the risk.

"Did you get what you needed?" He asked with an interested look on his face. Judging by the traffic they were going to be stuck there for a while, and he would keep asking her until she gave something up. So confirming that she was happy with the outcome seemed the only option.

"I did." She looked at him and smiled. She knew that he wasn't going to leave it at that. He never would have. Brody just wasn't sure still what to share. Did she tell what the outcome was, but none of what went into it. Sharing with people was not something that came entirely naturally to her. 

"Going to tell me?" He clearly knew what was going through her mind, and she thought that was probably a sign that she needed to let him. He just wanted to know that his friend was doing what was best for her, and that she had gotten the outcome she wanted. She dreaded to think what would happen to James if she hadn't.

"We talked, a lot." They had had a lot to talk about, really. They needed to get a lot out of the way, and talk over a lot of things that shouldn't be issue in an adult relationship. When those things had been sorted, they had been able to talk about deeper aspects. "We got over all our past grudges and angers. Really talked about our feelings, which we never did." They had always avoided feelings just like they had been taught. Now they knew that was a bad idea.

Pride seemed to understand where that conversation had begun, and why. "You told him about Baitfish?" The question was asked quietly, and she wondered if she was being ridiculous being emotional about it. 

"I did. I had to." James had deserved to know why she had travelled halfway around the world when she had never taken a vacation as long as he'd known her. She had also needed to talk to someone about it, and she hadn't wanted to burden anyone here when they were all grieving too. Especially LaSalle. "After Savannah..."

"I know, I spoke to Linda too." Pride admitted, but as Brody looked over at him it seemed obvious that nothing good had come of it. Her heart went out to him, she knew how much his marriage had meant, but maybe now he could let go and try and find someone else who made him happy. "It didn't go as well and yours and James seems to have, but I am really happy that you're happy."

"Yeah. I really am." She nodded, taking his cue to not talk about what happened with Linda. She could ask him again at another time. For her, the simple point of this trip had to find out if she had anything to work with with James. It was obvious they did, and they were going to try. "I wasn't sure I could ever make anything work with James, but now I'm desperate to try. I love him, I have since the day we met. I don't want to lose him."

"Hopefully now you won't." Pride smiled, and both of them thought briefly of LaSalle and his loss. She felt terrible that she could be happy after this, but life had to move on, and she hoped she'd never feel how LaSalle did right now.

"Hopefully." She decided to leave it at that, not because she didn't want to share the rest, but because it wasn’t time yet. There were decisions that had to be made, and plans put into place before she really should talk about the future. The truth was she hoped beyond hope that Pride was right, and she wouldn't lose James. In fact, this was all a mission in making sure, and she was pretty sure she had.


End file.
